South Africa’s favourite comedy project, The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival opens at The Baxter Theatre from 28 May to 21 June 2026 with a stellar cast of local comics, three international variety performers, the winner of The Jive Funny Championships, and a live band!
What started off as a Festival which celebrated freedom of expression and an artform in its infancy in 1997, has developed into the country’s largest and now oldest comedy project. Over the past twenty six years, The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival has assisted numerous artists in finding their feet in the industry and assisted others in becoming household names.
Sixteen years ago, it developed its own platform for aspirant funny people to showcase their craft in the hope of being spotted. The Jive Funny Championships, held at the Canal Walk Auditorium during the months of April to mid-May, offer the winner a spot at the Funny Festival as its main prize. Four up-and-coming comics from The Championships will also be featured on the Funny Festival, one per week for the duration.
“We are proud and excited to welcome back the Jive Cape Town Funny Festival to our iconic Baxter Theatre. Since 1997, this premier celebration of comedy has brought joy to our city and showcased the very best of South Africa’s remarkable comedic talent says Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis.
It remains a must-attend event for all who love to laugh, while serving as an invaluable springboard for emerging performers, including the winner of the Jive Funny Championships. My sincere thanks to festival director Eddy Cassar for his dedication to comedy. Wishing a truly unforgettable and hilarious 2026 festival for everyone involved.”
The festival has progressed from its early days of a pure stand-up festival, to adding variety acts in 2005 and now adding live music in 2026.
Founder and Festival Director Eddy Cassar has sourced three variety acts from Europe and the UK this year. Singing impersonator Michael Woodhams, a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent, has taken the entertainment world by storm with his accurate renditions of popular hits. His ability to change his vocal cords to impersonate pop legends has made an act that needs to be seen, to be believed!
Dani Regano from Spain is a balloon artist with a difference, working with giant sized weather balloons. Italian shadow puppeteer, Matteo Fraziano transforms his fingers into shadows of popular music legends playing on the backing track. Both are spectacular to watch and travel the world regularly, presenting their routines to audiences at all the major festivals.
They are joined on stage by Johannesburg comics, Robby Collins and veteran funnyman, Jason Goliath and Cape Town’s evergreen master singer, comic, actor and general funny person, Emo Adams. Music maestro, Sean de Vries, a specialist in the music of the Cape, heads up the music department with his band, Sean D and the Funny Festival band.
Highly decorated and multi-award winning actor and Comedy Hall of Fame inductee, Alan Committie acts as the master of ceremonies, holding the show together, a duty he has performed perfectly for seventeen years.
“We have become known for presenting “different acts” and we work closely with Simon Cowell’s Got Talent projects, international cabaret show, Majestique and Cirque Du Soleil”, says Eddy Cassar. We are recognized as a blue-chip festival by the top level performers the world over.
The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival has Things on Wheels as its preferred beneficiary. Things on Wheels is run by Kamile Abbas and feeds thousands of school children throughout the city on a daily basis.
JiVE cooldrinks has been a proud sponsor of the festival for 16 years now. As a brand that’s embedded in the Cape community, the partnership is a natural fit, bringing people together to enjoy colourful, flavourful moments and create shared memories. As a celebration of this iconic partnership, JiVE introduces a Funny Flavour to its range each year. From April, consumers are set to be delighted by JiVE’s newest flavour innovation, available through all major retailers, and from your local spaza.
All international artists who have performed at the Funny Festival mention the quality and enthusiasm of our audience as a highlight. They feel appreciated here and love the huge crowds every night. Our hospitality program over the month-long festival with visits up Table Mountain, on the City Sightseeing red bus, to Aquila Private Game Reserve and a Wild Horizons cruise in Table Bay, have become legendary.
Tickets are available from webtickets. There are generous discounts for groups of ten or more people. Visit www.funnyfestival.co.za or call Eddy Cassar on 082 4503151 or eddy@eddycassarpr.co.za or Carmen Kearns on 076 1137304.
ENDS.
Eddy Cassar – eddy@eddycassarpr.co.za
082 4503151